betta pacing & breathing heavily

[jessicarf00]

i got my very first betta, harry, two weeks ago today. today i did his first water change and took out about half of the water and replaced it with conditioned water (tried to keep it about 80 degrees.) i didn’t notice him doing this immediately after the change, but recently he’s being darting back and forth along the glass in the back of the tank and it also seems like he’s breathing pretty heavily. i don’t know if he is stressed from the water change or something else, or if there is another thing bothering him. just some background info - he is by himself in a 10 gallon heated, filtered, and cycled filter
i would really appreciate some advice!!

 

[ThatFishGirl6231]

do you have an api freshwater master test kit? if you do, do a water test. if you don’t, get one. it might save your fish’s life someday.

 

[jessicarf00]

do you have an api freshwater master test kit? if you do, do a water test. if you don’t, get one. it might save your fish’s life someday.

yes, i do. i’m planning on testing the water tomorrow

 

[Colin_T]

Did you use a clean container for the water change or any container in the house?
If there was any sort of residue in the container, it could have contaminated the water. Same deal if you had anything on your hands (moisturising cream, disinfectant wipes leave a residue, perfume, oil, anything.

Best thing to do is increase aeration/ surface turbulence and monitor for an hour or two. If there's no improvement, then do another water change. Use a clean container specifically for the fish. Rinse it out well before filling it with tap water. Add a dechlorinator to break down the chlorine/ chloramine. Aerate this mixture for at least 5 (preferably 30) minutes before using it in the tank.

The water temperature doesn't have to be an exact match and a couple of degrees won't affect the fish. As long as the new water feels similar to the tank water it will be fine.

 

[jessicarf00]

Did you use a clean container for the water change or any container in the house?
If there was any sort of residue in the container, it could have contaminated the water. Same deal if you had anything on your hands (moisturising cream, disinfectant wipes leave a residue, perfume, oil, anything.

Best thing to do is increase aeration/ surface turbulence and monitor for an hour or two. If there's no improvement, then do another water change. Use a clean container specifically for the fish. Rinse it out well before filling it with tap water. Add a dechlorinator to break down the chlorine/ chloramine. Aerate this mixture for at least 5 (preferably 30) minutes before using it in the tank.

The water temperature doesn't have to be an exact match and a couple of degrees won't affect the fish. As long as the new water feels similar to the tank water it will be fine.

thanks for responding!! it’s gotten too late for me tonight to do more with him, but in the morning i’m planning on observing him and testing his water either way. i made sure to rinse my arms and hands very well before the water change along with everything else i used, and have a bucket specifically for him! again thank you and i’ll try what you said if i don’t see improvement!